Latest science news in Biology & Nature
Large Study Points to the Brain Benefits of Eating Fish
A diet rich in fish may help ward off dementia, a study in developing countries has found.
Neon blue-tailed tree lizard glides like a feather
Most lacertid lizards are content scurrying in and out of nooks and crannies in walls and between rocks. However, some have opted for an arboreal life style. Neon blue tailed...
Montana State professor hopes to help high elevation pines grow
Thread-like fungi that grow in soils at high elevations may play an important role in restoring whitebark and limber pine forests in Canada. Montana State University professor Cathy Cripps is...
Moths jam sonar to dodge bats
Some tiger moths can produce sounds that interfere with a bat's sonar, rendering the predator unable to find its prey, a study has found.
Scientists locate disease switches
The team, led by Professor Matthias Mann of Novo Nordisk Centre for Protein Research at the University of Copenhagen and the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry in Germany, have detected...
Energetic bottleneck factors in catastrophic winter seabird losses
It's a terrible sight: hundreds of dead seabirds washed up on the seashore. These catastrophic events occur in the winter and are known as winter wrecks. No one knows why...
Invasive species threaten critical habitats, oyster among victims
A study of oyster reefs in a once-pristine California coastal estuary found them devastated by invasive Atlantic Coast crabs and snails, providing new evidence of the consequences when human activities...
Cover of journal shows cell infected by virus first viewed by Montana State scientists
The June cover of the Journal of Virology features a photograph of the unusual effects on a cell infected by a virus. Montana State University researchers were the first to...
Omega seeks 'living building' status
By GERRY HARRINGTONRHINEBECK, N.Y., July 17 (UPI) -- Owners of an upstate New York human-potential retreat center's new building say it may become the world's first "living building."
Neanderthal census reveals diversity
Sequencing method uses mitochondrial DNA to build up a picture of the species.
Mosquitoes kill their own in new dengue control method
Tricking adult mosquitoes to carry insecticide to their breeding sites has proved effective in controlling mosquito numbers, say scientists.
African sheep help diagnose disease
Blood from the African hair sheep has proven an ideal medium for laboratory tests to identify pathogens that cause human disease.
Vampire Bats Biting People
Vampire bats in Peru are increasingly biting people, and a National Geographic researcher is trying to find ways to stem the resulting spread of deadly rabies. Video.
Python Hunt Under Way in Fla. Everglades
Permit Holders Allowed to Euthanize Snakes in Effort to Wipe Out Growing Non-native Population
Why Neural Stem Cells Divide And Differentiate
Neural stem cells represent the cellular backup of our brain. These cells are capable of self-renewal to form new stem cells or differentiate into neurons, astrocytes or oligodendrocytes. The receptors...
How Penguins & Seals Survive Deep Dives
Jessica Meir goes to extreme environments to learn how mammals and birds thrive in conditions that humans cannot tolerate.
Male sex chromosome losing genes by rapid evolution, study reveals
Scientists have long suspected that the sex chromosome that only males carry is deteriorating and could disappear entirely within a few million years, but until now, no one has understood...
Sound waves speed up sexual assault testing
New analytical process uses acoustics to speed up separation of male and female DNA in forensic samples
Handle With Care: Telomeres Resemble DNA Fragile Sites
Although telomeres are fragile, they don't have to be handled with care. Researchers now show that what keeps our fragile telomeres from falling apart is a protein known as TRF1...
Evolutionary Event Underlying Origin Of Dachshunds, Dogs With Short Legs, Discovered
A single evolutionary event appears to explain the short, curved legs that characterize all of today's dachshunds, corgis, basset hounds and at least 16 other breeds of dogs, researchers report....
New information about DNA repair mechanism could lead to better cancer drugs
Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have shed new light on a process that fixes breaks in the genetic material of the body's cells. Their findings...
Secrets of a life-giving amino acid revealed by Yale researchers
Selenium is a trace element crucial to life - too little or too much of it is fatal. In the 17 July issue of the journal Science, researchers at Yale...
Edible coating makes fish filets longer-lasting, healthier
Consumers may be able to eat longer-lasting, potentially healthier fish fillets if research at Oregon State University makes its way to the supermarket...
UPI NewsTrack Health and Science News
3-D mapping helps in brain tumor's removal … New fruit fly pheromone is discovered … CDC: U.S. blacks most obese, whites least … Bolden becomes NASA's 12th administrator ... Health/Science...
California Keeps BPA Off Toxics List
Independent panel finds lack of scientific evidence of harm to humans.
Old gene, short new trick
Retrogene causes short legs in man’s best friends
Evolution Flashback: Ecologist Brings Century-old Eggs to Life
Cornell ecologist brings century-old eggs to life to study evolution. By hatching these eggs, scientists can compare time-suspended hatchlings with their more contemporary counterparts to better understand how a species...
Digital Rat Brain Spontaneously Develops Organized Neuron Patterns
Researchers hope the breakthrough could lead to a fully virtual human brain within ten years Four years ago, a team of researchers at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne in Switzerland switched...